Finally, Awakening Day arrived. Although he hadn't tested it, Shen Han felt his Mental Energy was already close to 115, even nearing 120. Still, he was a little nervous. Early in the morning, an Awakening Stone was placed on the podium of each classroom. Students had also arrived early, not wanting to be late on this day that could decide their fate.
This Awakening involved students from each class going up to the stage individually to touch the Awakening Stone and Awaken.
Xue Yixiang stood sharply dressed in a suit on the podium. "It seems everyone is well-prepared. Very good. I'll emphasize the specific details of the Awakening once more. Students, touch the Awakening Stone with your hand, then, following the rhythm of your usual meditation training, let your consciousness sink into your Sea of Consciousness. If you successfully Awaken, a star corresponding to your Special Ability will appear in your Sea of Consciousness. The brighter the star, the higher the Rank of the corresponding Special Ability. At the same time, the Awakening Stone will also display the Rank of the Awakened Special Ability. Additionally, the color of the star will correspond to the Awakened Special Ability."
"You've all learned about the star colors corresponding to common Special Abilities from your textbooks. Among the Special Abilities currently known to humanity, bright yellow represents the Metal Element; blue represents the Water Element; green represents the Wood Element; yellow represents the Earth Element; red represents the Fire Element. Of course, every year across the country, some students will Awaken other non-Five Elements Special Abilities, and the Awakening Stone will provide corresponding hints. Each student can only Awaken one type of Special Ability at this stage. Once your Mental Energy increases to a certain level in the future, you will Awaken new Special Abilities. All right, students whose names are called, please come up to the podium in order to Awaken. Lü Ziming, you're first."
Lü Ziming strode to the front, pressed a single hand onto the Awakening Stone, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. Before long, a bright golden light appeared on the Awakening Stone, gradually growing brighter.
"Wow~~, did he Awaken successfully? Bright yellow light, is that a Metal Element Special Ability?" The students below couldn't help but start discussing amongst themselves.
"That's right, this is definitely a Metal Element Special Ability Talent. Look at the brightness of this light; the Special Ability Rank is definitely not low."
"Awakening a Metal Element Special Ability means he can Cultivate those extremely offensive Martial Skills, and the defense of the Metal Element Special Ability is also quite abnormal!"
"A Metal Element Big Shot! Lü Big Shot, are you missing any hangers-on?"
"Lü Ziming, B-Rank Metal Element Talent. Next."
"Li Zhenqiang, D-Rank Water Element Talent."
"Zhu Yunzheng, C-Rank Fire Element Talent."
"Sun Tianyang, Awakening failed."
"Li Muhua, E-Rank Wind Element Talent." This was a successful Awakening, Li Muhua couldn't believe this fact. Moreover, this Wind Element was not one of the common Five Elements Special Abilities.
"Hmm, not bad," Xue Yixiang said with a slight smile. "Wind Element Special Abilities are relatively rare. When combined with some speed-type Martial Skills, they can produce very good effects."
"Congratulations, Hua Zi. Watch me next."
Shen Han walked to the front with calm steps. It was impossible not to be nervous; this Awakening would determine his fate, and he had almost exhausted all his resources for it. Dispelling those distracting thoughts, he took a deep breath. Shen Han closed his eyes and touched the Awakening Stone with one hand.
A cold touch. His consciousness retreated into his Sea of Consciousness space. His originally pitch-black Sea of Consciousness finally began to show some reaction. At this moment, Shen Han felt something invade his Sea of Consciousness, somewhat like the aurora he had seen in his previous life, except most auroras were green. Why was the color of this star invading his Sea of Consciousness changing? First, it was crimson, then a streak of orange inserted itself, followed by bright yellow, green, cyan, purple, and so on. What was happening?
Outside, the students stared blankly at the seven-colored Awakening Stone before them. Xue Yixiang was also at a loss; nothing like this had ever happened before. Could it be an undiscovered, unusual Special Ability? Slowly, the situation changed again, and finally, the Awakening Stone was dominated by purple, though the light was not particularly dazzling.
"Shen Han, F-Rank Lightning Element Talent," Xue Yixiang said, looking at the gradually stabilizing purple on the Awakening Stone.
Shen Han was still very confused at this moment. What he saw was completely different. In his Sea of Consciousness, there were actually two stars: one was the previously colorful one, and the other was the one now appearing on the Awakening Stone. He had actually Awakened two Special Abilities at once? He didn't understand what this colorful star represented, but no one, including Xue Yixiang, noticed that he had Awakened two Special Abilities at once.
"In this world where the strong prey on the weak, it's still necessary to keep some trump cards. I won't expose this Special Ability for now. I still need to figure out what this colorful star Special Ability is later," Shen Han thought as he walked off the stage, still replaying what had just happened, his thoughts lingering on the colorful star.
"What's there to be happy about, Awakening an F-Rank? What's the difference from not Awakening at all?" Sun Tianyang's voice drifted over.
"F-Rank?" Only then did Shen Han notice that his second Special Ability, the Lightning Element, was actually only F-Rank. Generally speaking, F-Rank was as rare as SSS-Rank. Shen Han was indeed a bit speechless seeing this F-Rank. His Mental Energy had already met the requirements, so how could he only Awaken an F-Rank? Could it be that his Mental Energy was all consumed by the first colorful star Special Ability?
"I can't possibly tell them the truth," Shen Han was indeed depressed.
"Shen Han's Mental Energy was almost 100 last time, wasn't it? After a month of Cultivation, it should be at least 110. How could he Awaken an F-Rank Talent?"
"That's right, although the Lightning Element is said to be the foremost among offensive Special Abilities, and is very rare and powerful, pairing it with an F-Rank is just too unlucky."
"The flamboyant, domineering, and violent Lightning Element combined with a weak F-Rank—there's nowhere to even cry about it."
The surrounding students were also discussing amongst themselves.
Shen Han was indeed a bit unwilling. What he could show now was only an F-Rank Lightning Element, capable of drawing upon only a handful of Lightning Elements, its power so weak it was almost negligible. The Cultivation speed and resource utilization efficiency of F-Rank Special Abilities were too far apart from other Ranks. The mocking glances and disdainful chuckles from those around him were incessant. An F-Rank Talent—he didn't even need to conceal it; they already regarded him as a waste. Lightning Element Talent was originally a formidable power, yet he couldn't even control a trace of its domineering and majestic aura, as if this Talent had been a mockery from the very beginning.
Fortunately, Shen Han's Heart-Nature was mature enough. The trials and tribulations he had experienced in two lifetimes made his inner self more resilient than his peers. What Shen Han was most concerned about at this moment was the mysterious colorful Special Ability he possessed. Unlike the single hue of ordinary Special Abilities, this Special Ability seemed to contain some complex power. He vaguely felt that this power was by no means ordinary and might bring him an opportunity to reverse his fate. But how to control it, how to develop its potential, he still had no idea.
"Alright, our class's Awakening performance this time was not bad. The highest, student Lü Ziming, Awakened a B-Rank Metal Element Talent. Most of the other successfully Awakened students also have C to D-Rank Talents, and with Martial Skills, they will be able to display considerable combat power. Just now, I saw the Awakening situations in other classes and other schools this year. This time, Yang City even saw an S-Rank Genius appear, and someone in our No. 5 High School also Awakened an A-Rank Talent."
"To the students who have successfully Awakened and become Martial Artists, I want to tell you that this is just the starting point of the Martial Dao path. Our planet is not safe, and the human living situation is not peaceful and comfortable. Our Dragon Country needs Martial Artists to defend our homeland and fight against exotic beasts. I hope everyone can make good use of their Awakened Talents to bring glory to our country."
"Starting this semester, students will undergo re-division into classes. Successfully Awakened students will be reorganized into new classes according to their elements, while those who failed to Awaken will continue on the path of cultural subjects."